Autumn is a hot season for harvesting potatoes. The deadlines are especially tight when the weather is cold and rainy with rare fine days. Farmers are helped by modern technology - a potato digger, which will significantly speed up the harvesting processes.

Design features of a double-row potato diggeralky

This device is used on soils with a high and medium degree of friability, with a small admixture of stones.

All potato diggers differ in:

  • dimensions;
  • design features;
  • the width of the processed field;
  • weed management capabilities;
  • options for cleaning soil particles.

Double row potato digger

Classic diggers consist of a share and a shaker. When applied, some of the potatoes will certainly remain in the field. The potato digger is devoid of this drawback, which has a vibrating roaring mechanism of the foot, where the earth, cut off by the ploughshare, enters. The stop vibrates the tubers from soil. The plow-shaped potato diggers resemble a plow with iron tines, which loosen the soil and bring the tubers to the surface.

All potato diggers are divided into single-row and double-row, the latter are used to harvest potatoes from two or more rows at once in one transport pass. The two-row potato digger consists of four pairs of elevators, which are installed in a cascade way. Each of them has a shaking device equipped with an elliptical gear. Such a constructive detail makes it possible to move tubers along the conveyor belt in both planes: horizontally and vertically along the steps, this makes it possible to better clean the potatoes from clods of earth. In order to prevent tubers from flying out at the exit, aprons made of rubber rubber are installed.

The main units of the potato digging mechanism are as follows:

  • high strength frame;
  • rotating shafts;
  • filtration vibrating grate;
  • a transport unit made of wheels, chains, discs and star bearings;
  • cutting mechanism in the form of a share.

The two-row mounted potato digger has dimensions in width that exceed the same indicators for single-row, the weight of the structure (as well as the price of such a unit) will be correspondingly higher, it works with high-power tractors (while a single-row can be connected with both mini-tractors and walk-behind tractors). The device can be connected to the base chassis of traction equipment with various coupling devices, which is typical for a double-row trailed potato digger. Another option is installation directly on the rear tractor hitch, applicable for a 2-row mounted potato digger.

Operating principle

The principle of operation of the potato digger

Potato digger for walk-behind tractor

This technique has approximately the same principles of work for different subspecies.

Note! Potato diggers can be used to harvest all tuberous crops, not just potatoes: radishes, onions, beets and others.

Two-row diggers cut the soil with three plowshares, grab a layer of soil from two rows with tubers in it and feed it to the shaking section, where most of the adhering dirt and stones are shaken off. The potatoes themselves are laid out by special mechanisms back onto the field, where they are picked up using other machines or manually.

The transport wheels allow you to change the working depth and control the same rise of the soil layer in both rows, which gives the whole structure increased maneuverability. The first stage of screening takes place between the bars in an elliptical vertical elevator. The soil that has not been sifted out, together with the tubers and greens, is poured onto the elevator-cascade, where additional separation takes place. Then the potatoes and tops are laid out on the field along the trail where the tractor passed. To make both rows narrower, combs are installed on the sides of the elevators on double-row potato diggers.

Important! If the elevators are clogged with large stones or foreign objects, a signal from the stop mechanisms is heard, the operator must stop the machine and remove the cause of the blockage.

Technical capabilities

Technical capabilities of the potato digger

Potato diggers differ from each other in weight, speed and productivity; a wide range of this agricultural equipment is produced by both domestic and foreign companies.

Roaring Potato Digger

To consider the technical possibilities, we use the Polish hanging potato digger Z-609/2. This two-row machine has 2 solid steel belts and is driven by the power shaft of the tractor. It is suitable for fields with medium litter of stones. The width of the row with dug out tubers is 80 cm. It is aggregated with tractors of the Belarusian production of the MTZ 80 and MTZ-82 series (up to 25 hp).

The digger has the following technical indicators:

  • capture size in width - 1.4 m;
  • the size of the row spacing - 0.7 m;
  • working speed - from 2 to 6 km / h;
  • productivity - 0.3-0.6 hectares per hour;
  • dimensions - 4.35 by 1.6 by 1.1 m;
  • construction weight - 0.74 tons.

The operator is a tractor driver. Vegetables are laid on the field in a strip up to 0.8 m due to the bulk.

Additional Information. The collection and transportation of the harvested potatoes can be completed at other times.

For the full use of the technical capabilities of equipment, it is important to operate it correctly:

  • to limit work on wet soil, tops and weeds must be pre-chopped with a topper grinder;
  • turn only when the unit is in transport position;
  • after 10-15 hectares of the treated area, the elevator should be pulled up by 8-10 cm due to stretching under the load.

Diy two-row potato digger

Diy two-row potato digger

Potato digger for MTZ walk-behind tractor

If there are not enough funds for the purchase of new equipment, but there is a technical mindset and skillful hands, the simplest home-made 2-row potato digger is the best way out.

The frame of the structure is boiled from an iron corner of 6 by 4 cm, and corner amplifiers are cut for it from sheet steel 5 mm thick.

The production of elevators is carried out from rods of 0.8-1 cm and sheet steel: a grate is made, and a vibration shaft is attached to it. Everything is bolted to the frame. The ploughshare is made of a durable material - a steel pipe 20 cm in diameter, using a grinder saw, after which the finished knives must be sharpened. The wheels are mounted on a shaft with bearings or hubs on either side of the digger. They can be steel or rubber, it is desirable to have both pairs of wheels for different soil conditions. The final stage is the manufacture of a mount following the example of a trailed mechanism on a tractor. How long such a homemade product will be in operation depends on the quality of the materials and the strength of the connection.

Growing and harvesting potatoes is a laborious task; special agricultural technology helps to facilitate and speed it up. From manual labor is relieved by a trailed to a tractor or a hinged device - a potato digger of various types and capacities. Double-row machines dig up tubers from two rows, which significantly increases labor productivity. Such devices quickly pay off, but you can make them yourself.